Record Watch Company was founded in 1903 in the city of Tramelan, Switzerland and became a significant player in watchmaking during the first half of the 20th century. In the 1920’s they evolved into producing wristwatches with in-house movements, followed by the production of high-quality chronographs in the 1930’s. Record specialised in creating accurate, reliable and durable chronographs, which required exceptional skills in engineering and assembly. That's why Record Watch Company become one of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ watches selected by the British military to produce watches for their soldiers during the Second World War. Record was acquired by Longines in the early 1960s and continued to operate as an independent brand under the umbrella of Longines. However, as Longines became part of the Swatch Group in the late 80’s and Record was struggling, the operation was shut down in 1991.

The beautiful example, a 1945 split-seconds chronograph allowed the wearer to record multiple time intervals that start at the same time but don’t end at the same time. It was particularly useful for timing events like different laps in a race. Therefore a distinctive feature is the two sweep seconds hands, one has an open ring while the other has a pointed tail. The Venus Cal.179 sits within a well proportioned steel case with stepped sides and faceted teardrop lugs. The two-tone silver dial with gilt dot for the hours and Roman 12 and 6 further enhances this unique watch and harks back to the evocative times of the 1940s. Preserved in excellent condition this versatile and collectible watch appeals to both watch historians and enthusiasts - it’s sure to impress.